Writing and reading desk.



H. SINGENSTREU. WRITING AND READING DESK. APPLICATION FILED 1 213.5, 1909.

95 1 ,083 Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

Fig.1

UNITED STAES HERMANN SINGENSTREU, OF BRAUNSCI-IVVEIG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 HANS LUTZE,

OF ALDERSHOF, GERMANY.

T 0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, I-IERMANN SINGEN- STKEU, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, and resident of Brannschweig, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVriting and Reading Desks, of which the following is a specification.

Chests of drawers and similar pieces of furniture have become known which are constructed in such a manner that if a drawer be drawn out part of the same can be opened or laid down to form a writingdesk. Such devices are however imperfect as the writing-desk thus formed is not very strong and further they cannot be used as a reading-desk or a drawing-board.

The present invention relates to a device combined with a chest of drawers or other suitable article of furniture and which can be used as a writing-desk or as a readingdesk to be adjusted in several positions and as a drawing-board which also can be adjusted at any height.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown, the device being applied to a chest of drawers.

Figure 1 is a cross section through a chest of drawers combined with the device which is shown in the position to serve as readingdesk. Fig. 2 represents in cross section the device in the position to serve as drawingboard. Fig. 3 is a front view of Fig. 2, partly in section.

According to the present invention one of the drawers 6 of a chest of drawers ahas a front-wall (Z which is connected with the side-walls of the drawer by means of pivots 6 so that it can be turned around said pivots if the drawer is drawn out. The upper part f of the front wall d is hingedly connected with the lower part, said part f being located in corresponding recesses g of the side-walls when the drawer is in its normal position. Eyes h of partf of the front wall cl serve to receive the ends of hooks i which secure part f in raised position. The eyes h are very small, or they are sunk in the part f to be flush with its surface in which case guide slots or grooves for the hooks i are provided. In the bottom edges of the side walls of the drawer triangular recesses k are provided which permit giving an inclined position to the front wall cl. If said front-wall d is in horizontal posi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 5, 1909.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 476,304.

tion it is secured in this position by means of hooks Z fixed to the sidewalls of the drawer which are hooked into eyes m of front wall (Z.

To use the device as a writing desk, the drawer b is pulled out so that the front wall (Z can be turned around the pivots e. The rear or lower end of front wall (Z engages with the triangular recesses of the sidewalls so that the front wall d assumes an inclined position such as shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines. If one desires to secure the front wall (Z in the horizontal position, the hooks Z have to be hooked into the eyes m of the front wall.

If the device is to be used as a readingdesk, the hinged part f of the front wall (Z is lifted (Fig. l) and a frame 0 is placed into holes a which are provided in the upper edge of said part 7. The front wall cl has holes in its upper edge, to which edge the part f is hinged, said holes serving to receive the arms of the book-support p. The reading desk can be placed at any required angle with regard to plate (Z by means of the hooks i.

If the device is to be used as drawing board, the part f of the front wall is lifted in the same manner as for the reading-desk and secured in its position by means of the hooks 2'. The part 7 now serves as support for hooks 9 which have sleeves r in which rods t are guided. Said rods 2? are bent at their free ends 8 so that they form a support for the drawing board a. The sleeves r are fixed upon the hooks g by means of hinges o and they have pawls to which engage with teeth 00 of the supports 9 so that the drawing board can be properly adjusted. The rods t are maintained in position in the sleeves r by means of set screws y.

I claim A drawer consisting of the side walls having rectangular recesses at the front end of the top edge and triangular recesses at the front end of the lower edge, the front wall pivoted in the side walls so that it can be turned into an inclined position when the drawer is open, its lower end engaging with said triangular recesses of the side walls, and having holes in its upper edge, eyes fixed at the sides of said front wall and hooks fixed to the inner surface of the side walls for securing the front wall in horizontal position, a prolongation of the front wall hinged to ios the upper end of the same and engaging with said rectangular recesses of the side walls when the drawer is closed and having holes in its upper end, eyes sunk in the sides of the prolongation and hooks hinged to the inner surfaces of the side walls for securing the plate in its position as support for the drawing board, in combination with a frame of a reading desk to be fixed in the holes of the prolongation plate and a booksupport adapted to be fixed in the holes of the front wall, hooks to be hooked upon the upper end of the upright prolongation plate, a sleeve hinged to each of said hooks, a rod guided 

